I 28 



NA TURE 



[December 6, 1894 



It woold be rash to assume that the straggles of parturition 

 have no analogous bearing on the after vigour and welfare of 

 offspring in the mammalid also. Henry Cecii-. 



Bregner, Bournemouth, November 27. 



Snakes "Playing 'Possum." 



In connection with Dr. L. C. Jones' account last week of 

 •.he Puffing Adder that feigned death, it may be of interest to 

 note that on several occasions I have observed similar behaviour 

 on the part of the English grass-snake {Coluber iiatrix). On 

 finding escape impossible the animal would roll slightly over, 

 with its mouth open to its widest extent, and its tongue pro- 

 truded, and remain perfectly limp and flaccid, allowing itself to 

 be stroked, moved, and even carried in the hand with the head 

 and tail dangling down on opposite side.«, without showing any 

 signs of animation. So sudden is the change from activity to 

 quiescence, and so admirable the imitation of lifelessness that 



VOLCANIC STALACTITES. 



\ CURIOUS formation is described by Mr. E. Gold- 

 ■'^ smith in the Proceeiiings of the Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natural Sciences (parti. 1S94, p. 107). It 

 is well known that the highly heated and very tluid lava 

 in the Kilauea crater at Hawaii, as well as in other 

 craters, is occasionally shot up into the air some thirty 

 feet or more. This lava in its descent through the air 

 becomes very porous. If such a highly porous rock have 

 a space underneath, a fresh deposit of liquid lava will 

 trickle through the porous cooled lava, forming as it 

 solidifies the pendant stalactites shown in the accom- 

 panying picture, which illustrates Mr. (Goldsmith's paper, 

 and has been kindly sent to us by the Academy. 

 The figure represents the entrance to a volcanic cave, 

 photographed by Profs. Sharp and Libbey. It shows an 

 overhanging roof of porous basalt, from which are sus- 



Flr,, t. — Volcanic Stalactites and .Stalagmites. 



It pif scnf-, lliat on the lirst cccation on which 1 witnessed it 

 (now many years ago), I tclievcd the snake to have been seized 

 by some tpccics of fit, and to be at the point of death until, in 

 the laint hope of alleviating its seemingly dcspeialc condition, 

 I plunged It into some cold water, with the happy lesult of 

 efTecling its immediate ictloralion, ihc snake possibly thinking 

 its ruic had been successful, and it was once moie free. I have 

 known case;, however, in which Ihe symptoms have persisted 

 ifter the application of the cold-water cure. Sul>sci|uently I 

 disco\eicd that no lieaimcnt of any kind was nccessaiy, as the 

 make would "come to" of its own accoid after a while. 



A point which I should be very inlercslid to Icain is whether 

 this condition is produced voluntarily by the animal for protec- 

 tive purposes, "the fan.e with intent to deceive," or is the 

 result ol a gcrcral nei«ous inhibition, produced icflcxly by Ihc 

 a. tion of fright, which would tender it mote or less analogous 

 10 a fainting fit. G. IC. Hauow. 



NO. 1310. VOL. 51] 



pended irregularly gnarled rods of volcanic stalactites « 

 on the floor are scattered fantastic-shaped volcanic 

 stalagmites, which seem to be much thicker than the 

 pendant rods above. Mr. Goldsmith says that the 

 stalactites are about one-lourlh o( an inch thick, and 

 about eight inches long. They show no disposition to 

 form cones like those seen in limestone caves. They 

 are mostly hollow and porous, and very brittle. The 

 colour is usually a deep black, but sometimes a part is of 

 a brownish tint, due, Mr. Goldsmith thinks, to a higher 

 oxidation of the magnetite present. Fragments of the 

 stalactites, when microscopically examined, exhibited a 

 glasfy felspar having apparently the characteristic of 

 sanidine. Magnetite occurred in great profusion, and 

 also gases, probably air. Augite was suspected, but not 

 definitely determined. The specific gravity of a coarse 



